When investing in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, cost is always one of the first considerations that comes to mind. According to a study conducted by Software Advice, which helps buyers connect with software vendors, a number of factors come into play which influence the final price of an ERP system.

Number of Users and Customization Requirements

The study points out that larger businesses would typically have more users who need access to the system, requiring more applications and functionality, calling for a higher-priced system.

Customizations can increase the price as some businesses have more specialized processes, and in turn, need specific customizations that will support these.

Deployment Model

Pricing structures vary depending on the deployment model—whether on-premise or hosted. The bottom line: “the choice boils down to a high, upfront cost and lower recurring costs with an on-premise system, or a lower upfront cost with higher recurring costs when choosing a cloud-based system. Over time, these costs tend to converge,” the study notes.

Perhaps your company is struggling with existing complex and costly business software and hardware in order to carry out your day-to-day business activities. Your company has hired a team of expensive specialists/experts to manage and maintain these systems. It has come to the point that your company can no longer keep up-to-date with the latest technology due to limited resources. What should your company seek in a new enterprise solution? With the beginning of a new year, it's important to consider the advantages of making a transition to the cloud.

Cloud computing is a network of your company's business areas located externally on the internet. The biggest advantage of cloud computing is that you no longer have to purchase expensive business software or hardware - not to mention the costly IT staff required to maintain your systems. All of your company's activities and information are located in an external online server which is supported and managed by an experienced vendor. As all your business functions are online, all necessary updates, upgrades, and backups are done automatically. Additionally, your company benefits from access to real-time information from each department such as HR, Marketing, Sales, and Accounting, among other business areas. Finally, your company benefits from being able to scale your cloud network up or down depending on your business needs and/or as your company grows. With these factors in mind, consider these 5 reasons to choose cloud computing as your next business venture:

• Up and running within days/weeks as there is no purchase of hardware or software. All you need is an internet connection.• Reduce dependence on IT personnel.• Remotely access your information from any location on any device.• Real-time access to your company's information across all business areas.• Scalability allows for your company to make changes as your company grows.

Many business owners that are in the process of expanding their company will need a bigger and better ERP (enterprise resource planning) system to handle day-to-day business operations. According to a report called “ERP – The Cuckoo in the Cloud Land”, 84% of respondents said that they used at least one form of ERP. More businesses are moving to the cloud for a number of reasons which can include: Lowering the cost of ownership, becoming eco-friendly and reducing dependence on internal IT personnel.

The report also advocates 2014 will be the year of the ERP cloud. According to survey respondents, 14% have fully migrated an ERP system to the cloud, with the majority (31%) saying they will migrate in the next 12 months. A further 27% said they’d be in by the end of 2015.The report also conducted a survey of critical areas of the organization that were important to business owners and SQL databases got 69% of the vote, followed by ERP (66%) and accounting and finance apps (66%),Business intelligence (48%) and CRM (40%).

At WebSan Solutions, we offer an online (SaaS) hosted-enterprise business software solution, leveraging the vast capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics GP. Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) is one of the top-rated accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solutions on the market today.

Not everybody is convinced about moving to the cloud, but in time that will change. If you have any questions about ERP Cloud or migrating to the cloud, contact us for more information.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Account & Project Manager with WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner and 2013 Canadian Channel Elite Awards Finalist. Adam can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416-499-1235 ext 213.

Are you not current with your Microsoft Dynamics license maintenance? Not ready to move off of Dynamics but not ready to pay the maintenance penalty? Move to hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP. We will upgrade you & move the system onto our servers. You will be instantly up-to-date on your licensing and supportable my Microsoft.

The list was announced April 16th, 2013 at the Top 100 Solution Providers Awards Gala. CDN is the voice of Canada's IT channel community for more than 25 years and defines an information technology solution provider as an organization that resells computer hardware, software or peripheral products along with providing IT related professional services, support services, consulting in a cloud or on-demand environment, on-premise fashion or as managed service.

“WebSan Solutions Inc. of Toronto makes the CDN Top 100 Solution Providers list this year and with that they join an exclusive club of the best technology minds in the country. WebSan really made a name for itself this year by offering cloud services based on Dynamics GP. They are part of a group of young and up-and-coming cloud specialists that CDN has noticed on the Top 100 list over the last few years,” said Paolo Del Nibletto, editor and associate publisher of CDN – Computer Dealer News, Canada’s No. 1 IT Channel Publication and Web site.

“We are very pleased to have made the list this year.” says Andrew King, Managing Director, WebSan Solutions Inc. “Our relentless focus on customer service and growth has enabled us to reach this milestone. More and more small to medium businesses our choosing our Cloud Dynamics GP Accounting solution for ease of use and cost every day.”

Do you manage your financial accounting using an on-premise solution? Are you spending a lot of money on licensing?

WebSan Solutions offers business the option of switching to a cloud hosting solution. They offer faster deployment options when compared to on-premise. You can save on licensing because you have access to your data through the web. No need to purchase hardware or software. You need to pay a low monthly fee, which helps you manage cash flow.

Frequently Asked Questions

WebSan Solutions Inc. is a cloud Microsoft Dynamics Certified Partner and IT consulting and solutions provider. In their web-based time and expense management system, they have added the FAQ page to tackle commonly asked client inquiries. This new enhancement will reduce their IT costs and create more productivity amongst their clients. This system is very easy to use because of its simple design and user-friendly navigation.

Paperless Office for expense reports

WebSan Solutions has also added a new document upload feature in the time and expense portal. This new feature allows employees to scan receipts and attached them to an expense report in the portal. When a manager is ready to approve it, they can automatically see the receipt. The document upload works in real time, so there’s no need to submit an expense then send in your receipts by mail into the office. You can now also use a tablet (iPad, Android) to take a picture of your receipt and still attach it to your expenses.

“Are clients have realized tremendous time savings and efficiencies from being able to upload expense receipts from a tablet or mobile device.” stated Andrew King, Managing Director.

WebSan Solutions Inc., Largest Canadian Cloud Dynamics GP Partner announced the latest release of its Time and Expense portal for Dynamics GP.

Working with Microsoft Dynamics GP for many years has given WebSan the opportunity to help clients overcome many business challenges. Their latest Time and Expense Portal continues to allow Dynamics GP users to enter time and expenses anytime, anywhere without the typical limitations of Microsoft's Business Portal solution.

Some of the key features that are now included in the latest release are the following:

Seamless integration with Dynamics GP database

Process timesheets and expenses in an easy to use, web-based format

Handle Canadian VAT (value added tax) and US taxes seamlessly

Automatic approval workflows for time and expense submission based on $ limits

Track days off, holiday and vacation time

Purchase requisition approval module

Internal reporting for timesheet status, expense reports and history

Works with on-premise or Cloud-deployed Dynamics GP

SQL Report viewer with self-managed security and ability to export to Word, Excel, PDF or Images

“Business Portal could never handle Canadian VAT taxes for us. We constantly had to modify expense reports in PDK in order to properly account for the taxes. WebSan’s Time and Expense portal has completely eliminated manual intervention and streamlined our expense management process immensely!” – Controller, Canadian Software service provider.

Technology is shifting to the clouds. Whether its phone apps like the Apple iCloud or email like Hotmail’s SkyDrive, many firms are transitioning there. It makes sense to move your ERP system from on-premise to hosted instead. Using Hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP still means that your software application is in a data center. You can still access your information where ever you are 24/7. You can rest assured of the security and reliability of your business. These are some reasons why you should use Hosted Dynamics GP:

Superior security, availability and control of your data

Lower Hardware Cost

Reduced Maintenance cost and improved ROI

Built – in disaster recovery and repair

Gain access to your data from anywhere

To learn more about Hosted Dynamics GP, visit http://www.websan.com/solutions/hosted-microsoft-dynamics-gp/. We are a cloud Microsoft Dynamics Certified Partner and IT consulting and solutions provider. We have over a decade of experience in Enterprise Software solutions, business and financial accounting software, implementation and design.